]]>http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2015/01/29/marquee-venue-wine-tour-jan-2015/feed/0Designer Spotlight: Loxodonta Weddings & Eventshttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/11/designer-spotlight-loxodonta-weddings-events/
http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/11/designer-spotlight-loxodonta-weddings-events/#commentsTue, 11 Nov 2014 20:48:55 +0000adminhttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/?p=3016It’s not too early to get into the holiday mood! Loxodonta Weddings and Events has brought the Spirit of the Season to our Inspiration Area. We love the metallic and cream tones accented with soft pink. Stop by Marquee this month to see this warm and festive design.

]]>http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/11/designer-spotlight-loxodonta-weddings-events/feed/0Preview Party Introduces Marquee to San Antonio!http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/03/preview-party-introduces-marquee-to-san-antonio/
http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/03/preview-party-introduces-marquee-to-san-antonio/#commentsMon, 03 Nov 2014 19:49:03 +0000adminhttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/?p=2893The Preview Party was a blast! Thanks to all who visited our new San Antonio location and introduced yourselves and thanks to the wonderful vendors that helped pull off a fun evening!

Marquee SATX is coming together quickly and we’ll keep you updated as we get close to our Grand Opening!

]]>http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/11/03/preview-party-introduces-marquee-to-san-antonio/feed/0Designer Spotlight: Life Styled Eventshttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/09/29/designer-spotlight-life-styled-events/
http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/09/29/designer-spotlight-life-styled-events/#commentsMon, 29 Sep 2014 19:00:48 +0000adminhttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/?p=2838Guest designer and guest blogger Life Styled Events brought together the perfect team to transform our Inspiration Area into a fabulous fall-inspired vignette includingFlora Fetish, Calligraphy by Jennifer Taylor, and Simon Lee Bakery. Thanks to AzulOx for capturing and sharing these wonderful images.

Our inspiration:
With the fall approaching, we wanted to capture the essence of this much anticipated season. It all started with wanting to use wood blocks as our plate chargers. A debatably odd place to start, but sometimes that’s just where inspiration comes from. From there, we wanted to bring in elements that had a rustic woodlands feel, but also had style and flair. The idea to incorporate deer antlers, grasses, and moss were easy, but adding in pops of bright orange and metallic shades took careful thought to bring the look together.

Now that the design concept was in place, we headed to Marquee to find the additional pieces that would make the vision come to life. The new Cane Back Chairs were a must for our look. So, whatever linen and dishware we chose, had to fit with these chairs! The pairing of grays and browns is not always a common design concept. But for us, it was the perfect match. Cinder Natural linen was our choice for table linen, while chocolate brown velevet draping richly surrounded the entire space. Lighted grapevine balls were the perfect touch to bring additional texture and lighting to the room. To complete our look we used Smoked Grey China, Amber Goblets, Hammered Copper Mugs, Ultra Flatware and Ivory Hemstitch Napkins. For our cake table, we wanted something a little more glamorous and chose the Cashmere Ruffle linen.

All of the design partners are thrilled at how the space turned out. It’s warm and inviting, drawing you in to see every beautiful, and sometimes unexpected, detail. We hope you enjoy the space as much as we do!

]]>http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/08/05/marquee-venue-wine-tour-july-2014/feed/0Day 8 Dominican Republic – Around the DR in 8 Dayshttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/07/23/day-8-dominican-republic-around-the-dr-in-8-days/
http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/07/23/day-8-dominican-republic-around-the-dr-in-8-days/#commentsWed, 23 Jul 2014 15:05:22 +0000Damon Holditchhttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/?p=2646The trip to the Dominican Republic was to review Alkifiesta and offer best practices to Oscar & Manual Schwarzbartl to assist in the development of their Event Rental Business. Oscar & Manual would show us the Dominican Republic through their eyes.

We planned to visit the three Alkifiesta locations. An easy task from Santiago. Then an opportunity presented itself to meet in Punta Cana, 5 hours from Santiago to discuss rentals for a 2015 event. We added this to our travels.

Saturday, Sunday & Monday we worked and played in Santiago. Alkifiesta offices and warehouse, Centro Leon, Cowboy Party, World Cup Game & touring the Al Fuentes Cigar Plant.

Tuesday we headed north for a 2 hour drive to Puerto Plato to visit Alkifiesta’s second location, tour the Ocean World Resort and tour the Burgal Rum plant. We had dinner at 10PM.

Wednesday we left early for Punta Cana about a 5 hour drive with the help of a new toll road. It was a beautiful drive along the north shore beaches and a large National Park. In Punta Cana we had a series of client meetings and finally went to dinner at 10PM. This not my usual schedule.

This is half the circle.

Thursday we left early for Santo Domingo to review Alkifiesta’s third location, visit other event rental stores in the area and take the Colonial City tour. Again it was 10pm before we arrived at our Restaurant.

Many of the restaurants we used would be at home in Austin’s second street district. They were modern, excellent food, service and wine lists.

Friday we returned to Santiago, stopping at a ranch set up for a 60th birthday party, inspecting the 2014 Santiago BMW test drive event and having Red Beans and Rice for lunch. A Dominican signature dish. Friday night Oscar & Manual’s parents invited us for a family dinner in their home. Excellent Dominican food! See my food blog when I write it.

Oscar, Manuel, Becky and I were in the car for 12 hours making this circular inspection trip. We talked the entire time about the rental business. It was an unexpected good time for this type of conversation. Hopefully our stories of Marquee’s lessons learned will propel Alkifiesta to faster and more profitable growth.

Becky and I enjoyed it. I will have to make special trips to the gym to return to my pre trip weight.

Por mi no hay problemo! Esta bien”

(For me it is no problem! It is OK!)

Damon W Holditch, CSEP, CERP
Marquee Event Group

]]>http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/07/23/day-8-dominican-republic-around-the-dr-in-8-days/feed/0Day 7 Dominican Republic – History and Rental Storeshttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/07/23/day-7-dominican-republic-history-and-rental-stores/
http://www.marqueerents.com/blog/index.php/2014/07/23/day-7-dominican-republic-history-and-rental-stores/#commentsWed, 23 Jul 2014 15:02:19 +0000Damon Holditchhttp://www.marqueerents.com/blog/?p=2639Oscar & Manual Schwarzbartl, Becky & I arrived in Santo Domingo and our first stop was Vargas Event Rentals. Vargas started as a caterer 30 years ago and is now the largest supplier of party rental equipment in the DR. We were welcomed as if we were old friends. Mr Vargas visited with us and told us his story and his activity in Rotary International. Mr Vargas then introduced us to his son who took us on a tour of the showroom and warehouse.

Party Rental in the DR is centered on decor; large vases, candelabras, chandlers, elaborate couches, side chairs and end tables. Each company we visited had some china, some glassware, some dinner ware and some linens. The main rental items were decor items. What I consider core party rental items seem to be secondary in the DR. Every market is different.

At 3pm we meet our local tour guide for the Colonial Tour of Santo Domoingo. It took the Spanish several tries to locate and name this city. They started on the north coast after several years moved to the south coast and finally moved to the present location after a new governor was appointed by Spain.

After an unfriendly visit by Sir Francis Drake, (Drake was English), he burned the city down and left, the Spanish built a wall around the city with a Fort protecting the harbor. The wall and fort are the Colonial District. We saw the house where Hernandez Cortez planned the conquest of Mexico. We saw the palace of Christofer Columbus’ son who was the governor of the island of Hispaniola. Christofer Columbus never saw this palace.

These buildings were built in the early 1500′s. Less than 100 years after the discovery of the new world. The DR is preserving and restoring all the Colonial District to enhance the tourist industry.

The drivers of the DR economy are Tourism, Agriculture, mining, rum and cigars. The countryside is a beautiful green with crops and orchards.

More on our circular tour of the Dominican Republic and the meeting we had with Fourth Wall Events from New York City in our next blog.

Punta Cana on the Southeast Coast is the center of the new All inclusive Resorts. This is an opportunity for Alkifiesta to serve a new high end market that pays in US dollars. It is a two hour drive to Santo Domingo. We will take the Santo Domingo City tour (The Red Bus Tour) and tour Alkifiesta’s office. We will visit a job for BMW. More on this later!!

This morning as I looked out my hotel room I could have been in South Florida. Coastal flat land and vegetation. The weather has been magnifcant. Mild mornings with humidity, warm afternoons and evenings. We have seen rain but have not been in any rain storms.

The people and staffs have been friendly and helpful. I am surprised how much Spanish I understand. I have a few phrases that help me. cerveza, Donde esta El bano? Buenos Dias! Adios! Como se llama? Gracias!

Oscar & Manuel continue to amaze me. They have a great understanding of the Rental business. They have asked and Becky & I have answered at least 1000 questions. I have seen Alkifiesta’s new employee Power Point. Oscar and Manuel have seen Marquee’s employee Power Point. We have spent several hours presenting Challenger Sales.

Everywhere we go, Oscar & Manual see someone they know. We are having Dominican Coffee, which is very good, and people come by and say hello Alkifiesta! Alkifiesta has the contacts, the reputation, the market presences to be part of the rising future of the Dominican Republic.

As we drive from the newest to the oldest city in the DR, we are with the future leaders of the DR. Oscar, Manuel and their 30 something year old friends will lead the way to a modern and growing country.

Monday we meet Sam Mendez, GM of Fuente Cigars. These are hand made by Cigar Chefs! New term! I have 50 surprises for Will’s Wedding.
We worked until 5:30PM at Alkifiesta and then went to dinner with Karina the Logistics Manager.

Tuesday, Becky, Oscar, Manual & I drove to Puerto Plata. Interesting drive showing the other side of the DR. We arrived at 10AM for a tour of the Brugal Rum Manufacturing plant. We had an hour and half Tour ending in a Rum Tasting like a wine tasting. The Rum Master, Jassil Quintana, 5th generation Brugal, used many terms used to describe wines. Who knew!!

We then visited Ocean World, the venue and the new cruise ship destination.
Evaluating the market potential for Alkifiesta. With 20,000 visiters per week there will be opportunity for Alkifiesta Party Rental.

Had dinner at an excellent restaurant and spent the night in Oscar & Manual’s family beach apartment.

Wednesday was a long day. We drove 5 and half hours from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana. Not far for Texas but a long way for The DR. We dodged motorbike taxis with three to four riders, trucks, donkeys, horses and pedestrians with balanced loads on their heads! I was exhausting! But it was beautiful to see the back country of The DR.

We arrived in Punta Cana for our 4PM meeting with a planner searching for vendors in the DR. Oscar & Manual know all the event professionals in the DR.
The meeting went well.

More tomorrow as we head to Santo Domingo the oldest European City in The New World!